Sikeston, Missouri

Sikeston, Missouri
City
Location of Sikeston, Missouri
Country	United States
State	Missouri
Counties	Scott, New Madrid
Government
• Type	Mayor-Council
• Mayor	Mike Marshall
Area
• Total	18.1 sq mi (46.9 km2)
• Land	17.9 sq mi (46.5 km2)
• Water	0.2 sq mi (0.4 km2)
Elevation	328 ft (100 m)
Population  (2007)
• Total	17,043
• Density	947.4/sq mi (365.8/km2)
Time zone	UTC-6 (Central (CST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-5 (CDT)
ZIP code	63801
Area code	573
FIPS code	29-67790Template:GR
GNIS feature ID	0726435Template:GR

Sikeston (Template:PronEng sīks'tən) is a third-class city located mostly in southern Scott County but also extends into parts of northern New Madrid County in Southeast Missouri in the United States. It is situated just above the Bootheel although many locals consider it to be an actual part of the region. By way of Interstate 55, Sikeston is close to the halfway point between St. Louis and Memphis. The city is named after John Sikes who founded it in 1860. It is the principal city of the Sikeston Micropolitan Stastistical Area, which consists of all of Scott County and has a total population of 41,143.

Geography

Sikeston is located at 36°52′46″N 89°35′7″W (36.879570, -89.585172).Template:GR

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 18.1 square miles (46.9 km²), of which, 17.9 square miles (46.4 km²) of it is land and 0.2 square miles (0.4 km²) of it (0.94%) is water. The city is situated upon the Sikeston Ridge which runs north and south from 10 miles north of Sikeston through New Madrid, Missouri.

Demographics

As of the censusTemplate:GR of 2000, there were 16,992 people, 6,779 households, and 4,602 families residing in the city. The population density was 947.4 people per square mile (365.9/km²). There were 7,428 housing units at an average density of 414.2/sq mi (160.0/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 75.52% White, 22.36% African American, 0.27% Native American, 0.37% Asian, 0.49% from other races, and 0.99% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.20% of the population.

There were 6,779 households out of which 33.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.7% were married couples living together, 17.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.1% were non-families. 28.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.45 and the average family size was 2.98.

In the city the population was spread out with 27.6% under the age of 18, 8.5% from 18 to 24, 26.2% from 25 to 44, 22.2% from 45 to 64, and 15.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 85.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 78.2 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $28,589, and the median income for a family was $36,420. Males had a median income of $31,846 versus $19,623 for females. The per capita income for the city was $15,509. About 16.2% of families and 21.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 33.3% of those under age 18 and 12.0% of those age 65 or over.

History

When the first settlers came to the region, they were welcomed by a wild and varied landscape. It was here that oceans and rivers once ran free, and cypress swamps, marshes and bayous covered the ground. Bottomland forests of oak, hickory, gum, cottonwood, and sycamore grew wild, and prairies stretched as far as the eye could see. The Sikeston-Miner Area, then known as the "Big Prairie," was described as "a delightful spot interspersed with beautiful groves resembling small islands in a lake."

At the beginning of the 20th century, the Little River Drainage District was formed to reclaim the land. An engineering feat, it is the largest drainage district in the nation. Today, seemingly endless fields of cotton, corn, wheat, soybeans and vegetables proclaim the richness of the legacy left by the rivers and swampland. These bountiful lands welcome visitors to the Sikeston-Miner Area where, amidst the nation's most diverse agricultural region, two modern-day communities offer visitors all the amenities they need and enjoy—restaurants, hotels, shopping and service businesses.

In 1789, by order of the King of Spain, an overland route was laid out to connect the cities of St. Louis and New Orleans. It was along this early frontier route, know as El Camino Real or King's Highway, that the City of Sikeston was founded in 1860 by a determined John Sikes. Now known as U.S. Highway 61, the Spanish King's Highway serves as Sikeston's Main Street. U.S. Highway 61 bisects the city and runs parallel with the original route, Kingshighway, which remains a major artery in the Sikeston-Miner Area. There are several fine antique shops, a Bed and Breakfast Inn, the Victorian Café, and a number of the area's beautiful and historic homes, as well as an El Camino Real Historic Marker identifying the city's link to Spain all along the historic avenue.

Kingshighway also runs into the heart of Sikeston's historic downtown. Along the cobble stoned Front Street includes the shade and historic ambiance of American Legion Park and Sikeston's Historic Depot, which houses a historic museum, an art gallery featuring local artists' work, and a cultural center displaying traveling exhibits from national museums.

Also in Historic Downtown Sikeston are centuries-old structures which house a variety of retail shops, restaurants and service businesses. It is also home to the city's oldest park, Malone Park, and the historic Methodist Church Columns. These six majestic pillars are a stately reminder of the city's religious heritage and the beautiful First Methodist Church which was erected in 1879 and tragically destroyed by fire in 1968.

Things weren't always this peaceful and "still" in Southeast Missouri, though. From December 16, 1811 to February 4, 1812, the area and the nation were rocked by a series of more than 2,000 earthquakes, the New Madrid Earthquakes. These great shock waves were the greatest earthquakes in North American history. Today, more than 200 small earthquakes are recorded in the New Madrid Seismic Zone each year. The turbulence in the region felt during the Earthquake of 1811 & 1812 was relived during the Civil War. Situated near and/or on the Mason-Dixon line, the area was-like the rest of the country-divided in its politics and allegiance.

Although Sikeston was only a small village during the Civil War, its position on the railroad and the King's Highway gave it importance. Late in February 1862, Union Brig. General John Pope marched into Sikeston, where the head of his column fell into a skirmish with 20 or more rebels headed by General Jeff Thompson. At one point, Thompson robbed a bank in Charleston to pay men and buy arms and supplies. Legend has it he hid part of his money under one of the oak trees at the corner of New Madrid Street and Kingshighway.

The Sikeston-Miner Area was again touched by the war during World War II when the Harvey Parks Airport, now the Sikeston Municipal Airport, served as a flight training school for pilots entering the U.S. Army Air Corps. The original gated entrance to Harvey Parks Airport now serves as the entrance to the city's Veterans' Park. The park, with a brick walkway and monument, pays homage to the brave men and women who sacrificed life and limb to make our country great. Other features in the park include the display of a 50-ton M60 battle tank and an F-4 Phantom jet fighter plane and a 105mm Howitzer cannon.

Following World War II, the City of Miner was born. Originally known as Minner in honor of one of the original landowners residing there, the railroad, when erecting a sign to mark their switching station, inadvertently left out the "n" in the town's name and Minner became Miner Switch. In 1951, thanks to modern day pioneer William Howard McGill, the City of Miner was incorporated.

Military

Sikeston's location during the Civil War held some importance due to its railroad and road location. In the fall of 1961, Confederate Brigadier General Gideon Pillow pushed a column of troops from New Madrid towards Sikeston and Cape Girardeau. On October 4 1861, Confederate Brigadier General M. Jeff Thompson reached Sikeston, planning to strike Cape Girardeau; however, his manpower was limited, and he decided to retreat into the swamps off to the west. On November 3, 1861, from Cairo, Illinois, Brigadier General Ulysses S. Grant wrote a letter to Colonel Richard Oglesby, commander of the Union Headquarters District Southeast Missouri at Bird’s Point, ordering his troops to "strike for Sikeston" from the Mississippi River town of Commerce. Brigadier General Benjamin Prentiss and Colonel W. H. L. Wallace were also converged in the Sikeston area in preperation of Grant's attack at the Battle of Belmont.

In 1862, Sikeston was used as a transportation connection as Union Brigadier General Pope sent his artillery across the river to Commerce to be sent by rail to Sikeston for cart transportation to New Madrid in preparation for the Battle of Island Number Ten. On February 28, 1862, Pope left Commerce with his army of 12,000, arriving in Sikeston on March 2, 1862. Colonel William Pitt Kellogg, future governor of Louisiana, commanding the 7th Illinois cavalry, was the first to encounter the rebel sabotage of recently burned bridges and other obstructions. The federals were attacked just south of Sikeston by a small group of rebels led by Confederate General M. Jeff Thompson called the Swamp Fox, a nickname previously belonging to Revolutionary War Brigadier General Francis Marion. Thompson commanded a detachment of 85 horsemen and four to six experimental canons that had been manufactured in Memphis. Colonel James Morgan Illinois's troops were reinforced by Brigadier General Schuyler Hamilton's 2nd Division, hence Thompson quickly fled. Entering the area from Bird's Point, Brigadier General Eleazor Arthur Paine, commander of the 4th Division of Army of the Mississippi, repaired the railroad and telegraph lines and used troops from Illinois to form a garrison for Sikeston, Bertrand, and Charleston.

War records indicate that on March 31, 1862, there were six Union officers and 143 Union soldiers present in Sikeston. On September 22, 1864, during Price's Raid, a Confederate force of 1,500 men near Sikeston under the command of Colonel William Lafayette Jeffers attacked Captain Lewis Sells' company of Union soldiers who were moving from Cape Girardeau to reinforce two companies of soldiers in Bloomfield.

During World War I, an infantry company was organized in Sikeston on August 25, 1917 until the spring of 1919. Company K became part of the 140th Infantry, 70th Brigade, U.S. 35th Infantry Division and fought in the Meuse-Argonne Offensive and served as part of the occupation force of Europe. Between the two world wars, Company K was reorganized. It helped secure rail centers during the railroad workers' strike of 1922, helped out with the aftermath of the Poplar Bluff tornado of 1927, and worked on the Mississippi River levees during the floods of 1927 and 1937. In 1941, Company K was sent to Camp James T. Robinson, near Little Rock, where they drilled for eight months.

During World War II until 1944, the Sikeston Municipal Airport which was previously dedicated on July 3-4, 1934, was known as Harvey Parks Airport and included long, barrack-style buildings as a site of the Missouri Institute of Aeronautics, which was established after General Hap Arnold asked flight training operations to triple their enrollments. World War II flying ace Robert S. Johnson trained at this location. The local National Guard unit Company K was assigned to the Western Defense Command in California. Also during World War II the local International Shoe factory started work on an army shoe order.

Sikeston is also home to the Missouri National Guard unit Company C 1140th Engineer Battalion which took part in Operation Iraqi Freedom from February 2004 until February 2005. The current Adjutant General of the Missouri National Guard King Sidwell is from Sikeston and states that Company C may be restructured from an engineering unit to a military police detachment of the 1221st Transportation Company. Sidwell was recently named in two federal discrimination complaints in December 2008.

Located near the airport, Veterans' Park includes a display of a M60 battle tank, an F-4 Phantom II jet fighter, and a 105 mm Howitzer cannon.

In 2000, the remains of Mason Yarbrough, a Sikeston native and World War II marine, were found on Makin Island and returned for a military funeral.

The recently-built George E. Day Parkway is named for Colonel George E. "Bud" Day, a F-100 Super Sabre pilot who is the only known American POW to escape into South Vietnam, although he was later recaptured and sent to the Hanoi Hilton. Earlier in 1955, while serving in England, Colonel Day was noted for surviving the first "no chute" bailout from a burning jet fighter. On March 6, 1976, President Gerald Ford presented him and James Stockdale with the Medal of Honor.

On April 26, 2006, the national commander of the American Legion Thomas L. Bock came to Sikeston to speak to American Legion Post 114.

Trivia

• It is believed that the famous Spanish explorer Hernando de Soto came and stood upon the Sikeston Ridge in 1541.
• The Hunter Memorial Cemetery, located on the grounds of the local Presbyterian Church, was established around 1812 after the New Madrid earthquake by Joseph Hunter II who served under George Rogers Clark during the Revolutionary War and on the Territorial Council for President Madison. In 1814, a town by the name of Winchester was laid out in this vicinity which even became the seat of justice for New Madrid County, but the town essentially ceased to exist after 1822 when the county seat was moved to New Madrid.
• It is believed that the first house in Sikeston was located at 318 Baker Lane. The "Baker House" was probably built in 1855, about five years before the town was founded. One of the early inhabitants of this house was Lee Hunter for whom one of the elementary schools is named. In fact, the house once had a large barn that was located where Lee Hunter school is now situated. The Baker family moved into the house in 1888 and purchased it from the Hunter family in the early 1950s.
• One of the first rail lines west of the Mississippi River ran to Sikeston, and it was the terminus of the Cairo and Fulton Railroad until 1872.
• In the early 1900s, the city had more millionaires per capita than any other U.S. city of a similar population and the largest milling company in the Midwest, selling products to 23 states and seven foreign countries.
• In 1916, landowner Leonard McMullin built a home of Colonial Revival architecture at 214 North Scott Street. Billed as the "Flying Farmer," he was the first commercial pilot in the state of Missouri, flying numerous exhibitions at state fairs.
• In 1931, J. Otto Hahs invented and patented the coin-operated horse in Sikeston [1].
• In January 1937, a devastating flood and flu outbreak occurred in Sikeston [2].
• In 1942, the last lynching in Missouri took place in Sikeston. Information of this event is contained within the book The Lynching of Cleo Wright by Dominic J. Capeci, Jr. The book tells the story of a "mob" taking justice into its own hands in 1942. It marked the first time the federal government had gotten involved in a civil rights case and how in the end a grand jury in the town allowed "mob justice" to rule. [3]
• On May 17, 1946, William Jefferson Blythe, Jr., father of former United States president Bill Clinton, died outside Sikeston on U.S. Route 60 after being thrown from his car and drowning in a drainage ditch. This occurred three months before Bill Clinton's birth. [4]
• On January 21, 1955, a mostly unknown 20-year-old Elvis Presley performed at the Sikeston Armory. [5] [6]
• In the early 1960s, Sikeston was where the first successful tooth transplant was performed. [7].
• The 1962 film The Intruder, starring William Shatner and directed by Roger Corman, features scenes shot on location in Sikeston with several having been shot in the old Dunn Hotel downtown [8].
• On April 1, 1965, Ronald Reagan was the guest speaker for the Sikeston Chamber of Commerce’s annual banquet and was presented an “Honorary Cotton Picker of Southeast Missouri” plaque, perhaps as part of an April Fool's Day joke [9].
• In 1968 and 1972, former resident George Woods won Olympic silver medals in the shot put.
• In the 1960s, Sikeston became the location for the first Wal-Mart store built outside Arkansas. Sam Walton was known for visiting the Sikeston store several times a month by flying his airplane into the Sikeston Municipal Airport.
• In 1973, the first Drury Inn was built in Sikeston [10].
• Former Senator Lloyd Bentsen visited the rodeo grounds in attempt to gain support for a 1976 presidential run.
• On May 15, 1986, a tornado hit the city of Sikeston and destroyed about 100 homes, prompting former Governor John Ashcroft to visit and call on the National Guard for assistance. On the same day, the nearby community of Vanduser was also hit by a tornado while storms precipitated flooding to the north in Cape Girardeau. [11]
• A horse named Sikeston, owned by Luciano Gaucci, won the Gran Criterium in 1988, the Premio Parioli in 1989, the Premio Ribot in 1990, the Queen Anne Stakes and Premio Roma in 1991, and the Premio Presidente della Repubblica in 1991 and 1992.

Attractions

• Lambert's Cafe - The original "Home of Throwed Rolls"
• Sikeston Jaycee Bootheel Rodeo [12]
• Sikeston Factory Outlet Stores, [13],a 22-store outlet shopping center, is the only outlet center between St. Louis, MO and Memphis, TN and serves the 5-state region.
• The Sikeston Depot, a train depot built in 1916 and on the National Register of Historic Places, is now used as a cultural center and museum.
• Bootheel Golf Club ([14]) and Sikeston Country Club and Golf Course([15])
• SEMO Raceway ([16]) and Sikeston Race Park([17])
• The remodeled YMCA building was originally built in 1925. It was previously used as a gymnasium for the middle school and as a gymnasium for the high school before that. Sikeston's YMCA has recently broken ground on an $8 Million renovation campaign, which includes an indoor pool.
• Sikeston Bulls - A minor league baseball team and part of the collegiate wood bat KIT League, which consists of teams from Missouri, Kentucky, Tennessee, and Illinois. Although inactive in 2008, the team will return to Sikeston in 2009. The Bulls play their home games in the VFW Memorial Stadium in Sikeston.
• Malco Trio Cinema, the city's only movie theater

Church History

Some of the early Sikeston churches and those with their founding dates include the following:

• First United Methodist Church (1867); First Baptist Church (1868); Hunter Memorial First Presbyterian Church (1870; 1894 re-established); St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church (1905); Wesley United Methodist Church (1905); First Christian Church (1914 or before); West End Missionary Baptist Church (1922); Smith Chapel United Methodist Church (1923; 1938 Sikeston location); First Church of the Nazarene (1924); Concordia Lutheran Church (1925 or before); Seventh-day Adventist Church (1937); Tanner Street Church of God (1938); First Assembly of God (1939 or 1940); Fellowship Baptist Church (1949); St. Paul's Episcopal Church (1952); Murray Lane Baptist Church (1960).

Medicine

Missouri Delta Medical Center ([18]) was founded in Sikeston in 1948. The hospital typically employs over 600 healthcare providers and has close to 200 beds.

Education

Public Schools

The Sikeston R-6 School District serves the educational needs of most of the city's residents and nearby. According to the Missouri Department of Elementary & Secondary Education, there are five elementary schools, one middle school, one junior high school and one senior high school for a total of eight schools in the district. During the 2008-2009 school year, there was a total of 3,759 students and 346 certified staff members enrolled in the Sikeston R-6 School District. The school colors are red and black and its mascot is the bulldog.

The Scott County Central School District is also located five miles (8 km) north of Sikeston on U.S. Route 61. According to the Missouri Department of Elementary & Secondary Education, there is one elementary school and one consolidated junior-senior high school in the district. During the 2008-2009 school year, there was a total of 348 students and 49 certified staff members enrolled in the Scott County Central School District. The school colors are orange and black and its mascot is the braves.

Elementary Schools

• Sikeston Kindergarten Center
• Lee Hunter Elementary School
• Matthews Elementary School
• Morehouse Elementary School
• Southeast Elementary School
• Sikeston 5th & 6th Grade Center
• Scott County Central Elementary School

Secondary Schools

• Sikeston 7th & 8th Grade Center
• Sikeston Senior High School
• Scott County Central Junior-Senior High School

Private Schools

Sikeston is also home to three private schools that serve both the educational and religious needs of students and their families.

• St. Francis Xavier Christian Academy
• Solid Rock Christian Academy
• Southeast Missouri Christian Academy

Higher Education & Technical Schools

• Southeast Missouri State University-Sikeston, a satellite campus of Southeast Missouri State University located in Cape Girardeau.
• The Sikeston Career & Technology Center

Media

Sikeston's daily newspaper The Sikeston Standard Democrat ([19]) derives its name from two of Sikeston's previous newspapers -- The Democrat Advertiser and The Daily Standard which was founded in 1911 and became a daily newspaper in 1950. In 1939, Standard editor Charles "Pole Cat" Blanton was featured in Time Magazine. Previous Sikeston newspapers have included The Sikeston Star which was founded in 1884; the Sikeston Herald, a Democrat-leaning newspaper, which was founded in 1903; The Scott County Democrat, and The Enterprise which was founded in 1883 and eventually became the Dexter Statesman. The high school newspaper is known as The Bulldog Barker while the high school yearbook is known as The Growler.

Music

Sikeston has long been associated with country music. Some previous performers at the local Jaycee rodeo have included Kenny Rogers in 1977 and Loretta Lynn in 1983 with Charlie Daniels and Lee Greenwood performing multiple times. Upon his visit, Kenny Rogers donated an Arabian stallion to be auctioned off to bring money to the local cerebral palsy center which in appreciation changed its name to the Kenny Rogers Children’s Center.

Transportation

• In 1789, El Camino Real also known as "The King's Highway" was marked out by orders from the King of Spain. In 1915, the Missouri Daughters of the American Revolution erected a monument near Woodlawn Street in Sikeston to mark this event.[20] In 1929, the Sikeston portion of the street was paved. Today this road is known as U.S. Route 61.
• Sikeston is located at the intersection of I-55 and I-57, making it the only city in Missouri other than Kansas City and St. Louis to be located on at least two interstate highways. Other Sikeston highways include U.S. Route 60, U.S. Route 61, U.S. Route 62, and Route 114. Sikeston's location at the intersection of US Highways 60, 61, and 62 makes the city one of the few towns located at the intersection of 3 consecutively numbered highways.
• The city is served by the Union Pacific Railroad and the BNSF Railway.

Economy

• The major city employers include Unilever, Missouri Delta Medical Center, the Sikeston public school system, and Wal-Mart.
• In 1904, the Little River Drainage District was formed, establishing Sikeston as one of the richest farm areas in the entire state. Agriculture products of the area include cotton, soybeans, corn, rice, watermelons, wheat, milo, potatoes, and poultry with native trees that include oak and cypress. Historically, the city was previously known for its two large flour mills.
• Sikeston is the headquarters for Montgomery Bank which is the largest privately owned, family operated bank in Missouri.
• The Sikeston Power Plant is a coal-fired generating facility with excess capacity sold to other communities.
• Besides Lambert's Cafe, other Sikeston restaurants include Arby's, Applebee's, Buffalo Wild Wings, Burger King, Dairy Queen, Domino's Pizza, Fishermans Net, Hardee's, Jay's Chicken, Kirby's Sandwich Shop, KFC, Long John Silver's/A&W, Mexican Villa (open since 1977), McDonald's, Papa Murphy's, Pizza Inn, Pizza Hut, Sonic Drive-In, Subway, Ruby Tuesday in Miner, Taco John's, Taco Bell, and Wendy's. Sikeston also has numerous Mexican and Chinese restaurants.
• Other Sikeston businesses include AgMart Sales, Clayton Fabrication and Metal Works, Collins Music, Construction Trailer Specialists, Days Inn, DeWitt Company, Duckett Truck Center, Ferguson Medical Group, First Midwest Bank, Focus Bank, Garage Door Company of Sikeston, JCPenney, J-J-N Enterprises, Lowe's, Meyers Supply Company, Mitchell Insurance, NewWave Communications, Pyramid Roofing Company, Retco Trailer Manufacturing, Steward Steel, The UPS Store, and Walgreens with multiple locations for Dollar General, Raymond James, State Farm Insurance, and U.S. Bancorp.

• In July 2008, it was announced that Memphis-based company Orgill Inc., the world's largest independent distributor of home improvement products, will build a 795,000 square-foot facility which is estimated to employ between 150 to 350 employees. The company plans to open the facility in August 2009. [21]

Sister cities

Sikeston's sister cities are Yeosu, South Korea and Buffalo, New York.

People from Sikeston

• Sikeston is the birthplace of congressmen Kenny C. Hulshof (1958- ), Assistant Minority Missouri Senate Leader Maida Coleman (1954- ), and the nearby birthplace of former congressman Charles Augustus Crow (1873-1938), representative to the Sixty-first Congress. Ralph Emerson Bailey, a U.S. Representative from Missouri, also lived in and is buried in Sikeston.
• Alfred C. Sikes, former chairman of the Federal Communications Commission
• NFL players James Wilder ([22]) and Brandon Barnes were standout players on the Sikeston Bulldogs football team. Wilder was an All-Pro running back with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in which he set numerous team records. Barnes was an all-conference linebacker at the University of Missouri and then played a year with the Washington Redskins. Charlie Babb, a safety for the Miami Dolphins in the 1970s, was also born in Sikeston.
• Kenneth Dement, a football player and attorney who was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1998.
• Neal E. Boyd, opera singer and 2008 winner of America's Got Talent
• Blake DeWitt, former Sikeston High School baseball standout, drafted in the first round, 28th overall pick, in the 2004 Major League Baseball Draft by the Los Angeles Dodgers, was also born in Sikeston. He plays second base and third base for the Los Angeles Dodgers.
• Baseball player Eric Hurley, a pitcher for the Texas Rangers, was also born in Sikeston. He was also selected in the 2004 Major League Baseball Draft only two picks after Sikeston's Blake DeWitt.
• Actress Jacqueline Scott ([23]) who made multiple appearances on Gunsmoke, The Outer Limits, Bonanza, The Fugitive, Ironside, Planet of the Apes, and Barnaby Jones was also born in Sikeston.
• Marjorie Montgomery, a child actress, dancer, and fashion designer
• Sikeston native Mimi Allen Smitten was a professional harpist who performed for the president, gave concerts in Europe, and recorded children's music [24].
• Authors Robert Vaughan ([25]), Terry Teachout ([26]), and Rex Miller have also lived in Sikeston.
• Robert Boswell, writer [27]
• Barbara Watkins, writer [28]
• Edward C. Matthews III, writer [29]
• Robert S. Johnson, a United States Army Air Force World War II flying ace did flight training in Sikeston for two months between December 1941 and February 1942.
• Thornton Wilson, former Chairman of the Board and Chief executive officer of Boeing was born on a farm near Sikeston[30]
• Peter C. Myers, former Deputy Secretary of Agriculture [31]
• Matthew S. Murray, who was appointed Director of Public Works for Kansas City at the request of Tom Pendergast in 1926, lived in Sikeston from 1908 until 1922.
• Michael Parkes, a fantasy artist and former resident of Canalou who was born in Sikeston. [32]
• Karen Wheeler, Rockabilly singer and the daughter of musician Onie Wheeler, was born in Sikeston [33]
• Edgar Desmond Lee, co-founder of Lee-Rowan Company was born in Sikeston [34]
• Troy D. Ivie, senior enlisted leader for United States Special Operations Command Europe [35] [36]
• Miss Missouri Teen USA winners from 1991 Audra Sherman and 1998 Brittany McDonald. Sherman finished as second runner-up in the Miss Teen USA pageant.
• David Blanton, former U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Missouri
• Scott Crockett was born in Sikeston. Scott is an animator who has worked on cartoons, like Kappa Mikey, which appears on Nickelodeon. He has also worked on Ellen's Acres and Furby Island. [37]

External links

Missouri National Guard members accuse top general of discrimination